Spatial Confinement of Co Nanoparticles in N-Doped Carbon Nanorods for Wastewater Purification via CaSO₃ Activation

Abstract

Spatial confinement of organic pollutants and reactive oxygen species (e.g., SO 4 •– and • OH) with ultrashort lifetime inside the scale of chemical theoretical diffusion could provide a greatly promising strategy to overcome the limitation of mass transfer in the heterogeneous Fenton-like oxidation process. Herein, we first reported spatial confinement of cobalt nanoparticles in N-doped carbon nanorods (Co-NCNRs), by encapsulating Co nanoparticles into N-doped carbon nanorods, in activating CaSO 3 for antibiotic degradation. Compared to Na 2 SO 3 and NaHSO 3, CaSO 3 could slowly and persistently discharge SO 3 2– due to its low solubility, thus avoiding the depletion of the generated SO 3 •– and • OH under the high concentration of sulfite ions. Fully physical characterizations confirmed that the 3D hydrogel was mostly transformed into the nanorod structure of Co-NCNRs at 550 °C. Co atoms were successfully nanoconfined into N-doped carbon nanorods, which contributes to mass transfer and prevents the agglomeration of Co nanoparticles, thus enhancing its catalytic activity and stability in activating CaSO 3 for water decontamination. The catalytic performance, kinetic research, influences of inorganic anions, pH, and degradation mechanism of chlortetracycline degradation catalyzed by the Co-NCNRs/CaSO 3 system have been studied in detail. This work not only proposed a facile method for synthesis of nanoconfined catalyst but also provided an excellent Co-NCNRs/CaSO 3 system for wastewater treatment.